Misha B feels proud to play at the Anthony Walker Festival in Liverpool

BRIGHT, bold and refreshingly brave Misha B emerged as an early favourite on last year’s X Factor.

BRIGHT, bold and refreshingly brave Misha B emerged as an early favourite on last year’s X Factor.

The Mancunian teenager had spent her formative years on the open mic circuit, working hard to hone her craft.

She also began busking to over-come her stage fright, winning over crowds of hostile shoppers with her immense vocal abilities.

Bursting into the mainstream by way of the X Factor, Misha wowed viewers with her unique talent and was hailed as one of the most exciting singers to emerge from the show.

But, after unsubstantiated accusations about her bullying other contestants she was controversially voted off the show just before the semi-finals.

“I learnt so much doing X Factor,” says Misha, now 20. “It was a great thing for me to do, and it’s led me to so much since then.”

Tomorrow Misha will be joining Jay Norton from The Voice and Toxteth singer Esco Williams at the Anthony Walker Festival to commemorate the life of the Merseyside teenager who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in Huyton in July 2005.

“I’m so pleased to have been asked,” she says. “It’s a real honour to play alongside such a strong line-up, and I support the excellent work that The Anthony Walker Foundation do.

“I grew up just down the road – only 30 minutes down the M62 – so it’s something close to my heart. When they asked me, I jumped at the chance. It’s going to be an amazing festival.”

It isn’t the first time Misha has played in the city. In May she performed for North Liverpool Academy students as part of a tour to promote her new single Home Run.

“I had such a great time there,” she says. “The students were great – really enthusiastic and a lot of them were really interested in music.

“I love the accent in Liverpool. The way you say ‘chicken’ just cracks me up. It’s a really cool place, somewhere I’d like to spend more time.”

Before that she performed at the ECHO arena as part of the X Factor tour.

She says: “I went straight into rehearsals for The X Factor tour, then there was the tour itself. We had a fantastic time. I loved playing the ECHO arena. There was a point where I looked around and thought ‘I can’t believe this is happening’ – it didn’t feel real that I could be playing an arena where my heroes play. That was one of the best moments of my life.

“From then I recorded my mixtape as a thank you for my fans. The response to that was phenomenal. I couldn’t believe it.”

Misha’s mixtape Why Hello World featured a mix of brand new songs and covers by her favourite artists. It included her songs Why Hello World, Big Dreaming, a cover of Unpretty Original and Last Forever as well as Adele’s Rolling in the Deep, Usher’s Climax and Lil Wayne ft Bruno Mars Mirror Original.

Clocking up over 16,000 downloads and 25,000 streams, it became Radio 1Xtra’s mixtape of the week.

Opting to sign with Relentless Records, rather than Simon Cowell's label, Misha has written her own songs for her debut album, due to be released later this year, with that debut single Home Run to be released on July 15.

She says: “If there's no connection for me with the song, I can't find a way of performing it.”

While on The X Factor Misha became known for her outlandish fashion choices.

“Lady Gaga is my hero,” she laughs. “She isn’t afraid to wear something dramatic, to step out of the ordinary. It’s easy to be a clone, to look like every other girl on the high street. What I admire is people who express themselves through their clothes, who show a bit of personality.

“I wake up every day and I wear what I want.

“One day it might be a trackie, the next day it’s a onesie, the next it’s a dress or leggings or whatever. You should be able to look at me and see how I’m feeling that day.”

Tomorrow Misha will perform her debut single Home Run. It takes her sound in an unexpected, more adventurous direction than perhaps people would have anticipated. ŠThe jolting percussion and reggae-infused drum and bass influenced beats come courtesy of rising UK producer MNEK.

With remixes from Kat Krazy, Zed Bias and Taiki & Nulight this track is set to light up dancefloors over the summer.Š

“Home Run is about that special someone who gets you so excited, so hyped that you lose control,” she says. “When I perform it, I feel that same energy on stage – it makes you want to dance.”

Misha B plays the Anthony Walker Festival at the University of Liverpool’s Guild of Students in Brownlow Hill tomorrow.

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Alastair Machray was appointed editor of The Liverpool Echo in 2005 and is also editor-in-chief of Trinity Mirror Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales. He is a former editor of The Daily Post (Wales and England) and editor-in-chief of the company's Welsh operations. Married dad-of-two and keen golfer Alastair is one of the longest-serving newspaper editors in the country. His titles have won numerous awards and spearheaded numerous successful campaigns.